Visual Propaganda and Extremism in the Online Environment

Visual images have been a central component of propaganda for as long as propaganda has been produced. But recent developments in communication and information technologies have given terrorist and extremist groups options and abilities they never would have been able to come close to even 5 or 10 years ago. There are terrorist groups who, with very little initial investment, are making videos that are coming so close to the quality of BBC or CNN broadcasts that the difference is meaningless, and with access to the web they have instantaneous access to a global audience. Given the broad social science consensus on the power of visual images relative to that of words, the strategic implications of these groups’ sophistication in the use of images in the online environment is carefully considered in a variety of contexts by the authors in this collection.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1942/thumbnail.jp

The Goose and the Gander

Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the April 2010 newsletter

YouTube War: Fighting in a World of Cameras in Every Cell Phone and Photoshop on Every Computer

Terrorist attacks today are often media events in a second sense: information and communication technologies have developed to such a point that these groups can film, edit, and upload their own attacks within minutes of staging them, whether the Western media are present or not. In this radically new information environment, the enemy no longer depends on traditional media. This is the “YouTube War.” This monograph methodically lays out the nature of this new environment in terms of its implications for a war against media-savvy insurgents, and then considers possible courses of action for the Army and the U.S. military as they seek to respond to an enemy that has proven enormously adaptive to this new environment and the new type of warfare it enables.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1615/thumbnail.jp

Adaptive Text Messaging for Postpartum Risky Drinking: Conceptual Model and Protocol for an Ecological Momentary Assessment Study

BackgroundRisky drinking is prevalent among women of childbearing age. Although many women reduce their drinking during pregnancy, more than half return to prepregnancy levels during the early postpartum period. Risky drinking in new mothers may be associated with negative child and maternal health outcomes; however, new mothers are unlikely to seek treatment for risky drinking because of stigma and fear of child protective service involvement. SMS text messaging is a promising approach for reaching non–treatment-seeking new mothers at risk because of risky drinking. SMS text messaging interventions (TMIs) are empirically supported for alcohol use, but a tailored intervention for new mothers does not exist. This study aims to fill this gap by developing a just-in-time adaptive TMI for postpartum risky drinking. ObjectiveThe objectives of this paper are to present a preliminary conceptual model of postpartum risky drinking and describe the protocol for conducting an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) study with new mothers to inform the refinement of the conceptual model and development of the TMI. MethodsThis paper presents a preliminary conceptual model of postpartum risky drinking based on the motivational model of alcohol use, social cognitive theory, and temporal self-regulation theory. The model proposes three primary intervention targets: motivation, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. Theoretical and empirical literature in support of the conceptual model is described. The paper also describes procedures for a study that will collect EMA data from 30 participants recruited via social media and the perinatal Central Intake system of New Jersey. Following the baseline assessment, EMA surveys will be sent 5 times per day for 14 days. The assessment instruments and data analysis procedures are described. ResultsRecruitment is scheduled to begin in January 2022 and is anticipated to conclude in March 2022. Study results are estimated to be published in July 2022. ConclusionsThe study findings will enhance our understanding of daily and momentary fluctuations in risk and protective factors for risky drinking during the early postpartum period. The findings will be used to refine the conceptual model and inform the development of the TMI. The next steps for this work include the development of intervention components via an iterative participatory design process and testing of the resulting intervention in a pilot microrandomized trial. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)PRR1-10.2196/3684

A Cold War life, and beyond

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/den_1916_may/1002/thumbnail.jp

Development of an Electronic Screening and Brief Intervention to Address Perinatal Substance Use in Home Visiting: Qualitative User-Centered Approach

BackgroundPerinatal substance use (SU) is prevalent during pregnancy and the postpartum period and may increase the risks to maternal and child health. Many pregnant and postpartum women do not seek treatment for SU because of fear of child removal. Home visiting (HV), a voluntary supportive program for high-risk families during the perinatal period, is a promising avenue for addressing unmet SU needs. Confidential delivery of screening and brief intervention (BI) for SU via computers has demonstrated high user satisfaction among pregnant and postpartum women as well as efficacy in reducing perinatal SU. This study describes the development of the electronic screening and BI for HV (e–SBI-HV), a digital screening and BI program that is adapted from an existing electronic screening and BI (e-SBI) for perinatal SU and tailored to the HV context. ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the user-centered intervention development process that informed the adaptation of the original e-SBI into the e–SBI-HV, present specific themes extracted from the user-centered design process that directly informed the e–SBI-HV prototype and describe the e–SBI-HV prototype. MethodsAdaptation of the original e-SBI into the e–SBI-HV followed a user-centered design process that included 2 phases of interviews with home visitors and clients. The first phase focused on adaptation and the second phase focused on refinement. Themes were extracted from the interviews using inductive coding methods and systematically used to inform e–SBI-HV adaptations. Participants included 17 home visitors and 7 clients across 3 Healthy Families America programs in New Jersey. ResultsThe e–SBI-HV is based on an existing e-SBI for perinatal SU that includes screening participants for SU followed by a brief motivational intervention. On the basis of the themes extracted from the user-centered design process, the original e-SBI was adapted to address population-specific motivating factors, address co-occurring problems, address concerns about confidentiality, acknowledge fear of child protective services, capitalize on the home visitor–client relationship, and provide information about SU treatment while acknowledging that many clients prefer not to access the formal treatment system. The full e–SBI-HV prototype included 2 digital intervention sessions and home visitor facilitation protocols. ConclusionsThis study describes a user-centered approach for adapting an existing e-SBI for SU for use in the HV context. Despite the described challenges, home visitors and clients generally reacted favorably to the e–SBI-HV, noting that it has the potential to fill a significant gap in HV services. If proven effective, the e–SBI-HV could provide a way for clients to receive help with SU within HV, while maintaining their privacy and avoiding the overburdening of home visitors. The next step in this study would be to test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of the e–SBI-HV